Chapter 1 The Torrential Sound Waves

Vast and mighty sound waves cascaded in all directions, creating surging tides on the swamp. Ferocious beasts were swept along by the waves, emitting terrified howls.

That was a deep-seated terror imprinted in their bloodlines.

Even the ferocious beasts that had already become demons did not have the slightest thought of resistance in the face of such terrifying deterrence.

Boom!

Boom!

The mountains within the swamp trembled.

The enormous ferocious beast submerged in the swamp struggled, trying to break free.

.......

When a country is about to perish, there will surely be monstrous things. When a world is about to perish, what should be done?

On the road, An Qisheng kept thinking about this question.

In that fleeting glance, he saw many things, much deeper than what he felt when he first entered the dream.

This great world was like a star captured by a black hole, caught in the terror of impending doom.

He wouldn't be surprised by anything that happened in such a time of great terror.

"This world..."

Countless thoughts in An Qisheng's mind turned into a sigh.

Then, he dissolved into the wind and drifted away.

.......

The Daqing territory was very vast, with one hundred and twenty major provinces and six hundred minor provinces. The larger ones, like Liang Province, were more than 100,000 *li* in circumference, while the smaller ones were still tens of thousands of *li*.

With such a vast territory, its system was naturally different from the dynasties of Jiu Fu Jie.

The Daqing Dynasty implemented something similar to a feudal system, and also resembled some tribal alliances in ancient Xuan Xing, not a truly unified dynasty.

Many of the major and minor provinces were essentially countries within a country.

Many had a history even longer than Daqing, and only nominally respected Daqing.

Zhang Province was such a place.

Entering Zhang Province, although only separated from Dan Province by one province, the local customs and practices were already as if one had arrived in another country.

The writing was somewhat different from other provinces, and the accents were even more distinct.

Walking on the streets of Zhang Province's capital, listening to the hawking of the vendors and watching the passing pedestrians, An Qisheng's heart gradually calmed down.

Along the way, measuring the land, either slaying demons or eliminating devils, his heart was always unable to calm down.

The end of the world.

These four words represented hundreds of millions of living beings, the damned, the innocent, all would die on that day.

But at this moment, he had figured it out.

No matter what kind of predicament this great world was facing, it was not something he could interfere with at this time.

Awoo~

On his shoulder, the yellow dog let out a low growl.

"Well, I've been walking for several months, it's time to eat something good to appease my stomach."

An Qisheng nodded, listening to the yellow dog's urging.

He took a deep breath, and the city's atmosphere flowed through his mouth and nose. As he exhaled, he already knew which restaurant in the city had the best food and which had the most mellow wine.

At the moment, he strolled slowly along the street.

After achieving the Qi Seed and the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, every cell in his body was filled with a magnetic field, drawing on the power of heaven and earth for its use, and he almost didn't need grains anymore.

However, food and sex are human nature, this is the great desire of man, and he had no intention of cutting off his appetite.

If there's nothing to eat, then don't eat, but if there is, then naturally eat the best.

Is living only for cultivation?

He walked past three long streets, passed seventeen or eight taverns, and then made seven turns and eight turns, walking into a rather secluded alley.

At the end of the alley, a fragrance was already wafting out.

This alley was very secluded, but there were quite a few people. The alley, about ten feet wide and more than twenty feet long, was packed with people.

It seemed they were all queuing.

"Master, there are too many people! Why not change to another place?"

The yellow dog slurped and suggested.

"There's nothing to do anyway, it doesn't matter to wait a while."

An Qisheng smiled, not minding.

"How did this Taoist priest know about this Yanhua Alley?"

Perhaps bored of waiting, a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar in front of the queue started talking to An Qisheng.

"The fragrance travels ten *li*, I came by smelling it."

An Qisheng told the truth.

The scholar rolled his eyes and shook his head, saying:

"It's an exaggeration to say the fragrance travels ten *li*, but the dishes in this Yanhua Alley are indeed the best in the world. Not to mention this Zhang Province, there are few that can compare in the entire Daqing. That's saying too much, even including the imperial kitchen in Qingdu City."

This scholar was quite talkative, chattering on and on.

Although this Yanhua Alley was inconspicuous, it had been an old shop for decades, and its reputation was quite large among the wealthy families in this Zhang Province.

Even the city lord had come here to eat.

It was just that the owner of this shop was quite strange, not allowing anyone to take away food, only allowing people to eat it in the shop, which was why his fame was not so great.

Some people had tried to get his attention, but they had all been dealt with silently.

"The city lord once thought of recruiting him, but he was rejected..."

As the scholar spoke, the people queuing in front sighed and dispersed.

"Oh well! Another wasted trip."

The scholar also shook his head, quite regretfully: "I forgot to say just now, Taoist priest, you may not know, the owner of this Yanhua Alley makes a few dishes every day depending on his mood. It seems he's not in a good mood today, and he's already stopped cooking before dark."

He shook his head, and the others sighed.

However, although they were quite regretful, no one caused trouble, and they dispersed obediently.

If the owner of this shop didn't have a lot of power, then someone must have suffered before.

"Brother Lu, don't be in a hurry to leave."

An Qisheng stopped the scholar.

During their conversation, he learned that this person was a failed scholar from Zhang Province, named Lu Wencai. He looked young, but was actually over fifty years old. He cultivated both internally and externally, and although he had not received the *lu*, he could be considered a good fighter.

Beating a hundred or so ordinary people was no problem.

"Does the Taoist priest have something?"

Lu Wencai looked at An Qisheng curiously.

Because of his personal experience, he had a natural fondness for Taoist priests.

"Since we've come, we naturally have to have a few drinks before leaving."

An Qisheng smiled slightly.

"Does the Taoist priest know the owner of this shop?"

Lu Wencai was a little surprised.

In addition to studying and practicing martial arts in his life, he loved the pleasures of the palate the most. After eating the dishes in this Yanhua Alley, he couldn't stop himself, and he always had to come here to eat once whenever he had free time.

"If I don't know him, can't I eat?"

An Qisheng walked towards the alley.

Lu Wencai wanted to stop him, but after thinking about it, he didn't take action, but followed him.

The owner of this Yanhua Alley had a rather violent temper and was very skilled. Those who had forced him before had all had their hands and feet broken.

However, this white-clothed Taoist priest didn't look like an ordinary person either, at least he shouldn't be reckless.

Therefore, he naturally had to follow and see what would happen.

Yanhua Alley, the shop lived up to its name.

Walking into the shop door, behind it was also an alley.

The alley was very small, at most it could accommodate four or five tables of guests, and it couldn't accommodate more. At this time, there were no guests in the alley, and a somewhat hunched old man was cleaning the tables and chairs.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, he said without raising his head:

"There are guests tonight, so I can't entertain outsiders. This guest should look for another place!"

"Why does the shop owner refuse people outside the door? We've been waiting for a long time, just wanting to taste the shop owner's craftsmanship."

Lu Wencai cupped his hands:

"It's not dark yet, we'll leave after we've eaten, and we won't delay you."

"I said I'm not entertaining, and I'm not entertaining!"

The old man still didn't turn his head, moved the tables and chairs, and his tone was already a little impatient:

"You dare to force a cook? If I'm not in a good mood, and I make a table of dishes, dare you eat it?"

Lu Wencai was immediately speechless.

This master really had the experience of being forced to the point of impatience, and he insisted on making a table of dishes, causing that table of people to have diarrhea for half a month, almost dying from being pulled alive.

An Qisheng found it interesting, so he interjected:

"What's there to be afraid of?"

"Hmm?"

The old man suddenly raised his head, a hint of surprise appearing in his slightly cloudy eyes:

"You..."

Until this voice sounded, he only thought that one person had come in.

How did he know that there were actually two people, and a dog!

This was simply an incredible thing for him.

An Qisheng stepped into the tavern:

"What about it?"

The old man's appearance was quite unflattering, with a pointed mouth, thin cheeks, and two small mustaches, just like a rat that had become a spirit. His eyes were cloudy and dull, and no matter how you looked at him, he didn't look like a cook.

"Since the guest is not afraid, the old guy is naturally even less afraid!"

The old man threw the rag for wiping the table over his shoulder and walked towards the back kitchen.

"Sit down?"

An Qisheng randomly found a table and sat down, then looked at Lu Wencai:

"Could it be that you're afraid?"

Lu Wencai was stunned, then laughed:

"If the Taoist priest isn't afraid, Lu is naturally not afraid!"

Saying that, he sat down next to An Qisheng.

Whoosh~

The yellow dog also jumped down and sat on another chair, quietly waiting for the meal to begin.

It made Lu Wencai a little surprised. He didn't know what he was thinking, and his attitude became more respectful:

"Taoist priest, may I ask, are you a cultivator?"

"In this world, who is not a cultivator?"

An Qisheng looked at him with a meaningful look:

"Eating is cultivation, practicing martial arts is cultivation, every move is cultivation."

"I was abrupt."

Lu Wencai shook his head and smiled bitterly, but he confirmed the idea in his heart.

He didn't ask any more questions, and then began to introduce An Qisheng:

"The dishes in this Yanhua Alley are quite good, but the ingredients are very ordinary. There are no delicacies from the mountains and forests, they are all ingredients that ordinary people eat..."

"The ancients have already popularized the ingredients with the best taste in the world. Wild game may not be as delicious as ordinary ingredients."

Saying that, An Qisheng looked at the old man who was bringing up the dishes:

"This *sha zhu cai* (butchered pig dish) is much more delicious than stewed bats, isn't it?"

The old man was walking, and when he heard the word 'bat', his body suddenly stiffened. Although it was only for a moment, the two people and a dog all noticed it.

An Qisheng's expression was as usual, the yellow dog licked its paws, looking eagerly at the food plate, Lu Wencai frowned, wondering what he was thinking.

"Guest, your dishes."

The old man said in a slightly hoarse voice, placing the dishes on the table.

Lu Wencai looked carefully, and a layer of fine black hair had already appeared on his palms. When he looked up, he saw that the old cook's face and body were also growing black hair. The shadow behind him stretched out, as if a pair of wings were opening.

A bat spirit!

Lu Wencai's heart trembled wildly, and he was about to get up when he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder and sat down again.

He turned his head stiffly,

and saw a shriveled palm extending from the void, patting him on the shoulder.

Then, an old Taoist priest with white hair and beard gradually emerged from the void.